$10,000 Bail Set in Pet's Beheading

By Jack Leonard

Feb. 8, 2002 12 AM PT

A 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to an animal after police discovered earlier this week that he had stabbed and beheaded his pet dog, authorities said Thursday.

James Abernathy was arrested Wednesday at his home on Chinchilla Street in La Habra.

Abernathy admitted to detectives that he had killed the animal, La Habra Police Lt. Bob Wyse said.

Abernathy is being held at Orange County Jail on $10,000 bail, Wyse said.

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California

Jack Leonard

As senior editor of investigations, Jack Leonard oversaw the work of a team of investigative reporters. As a reporter, he was part of the team that exposed fraud and abuse in California’s conservatorship system, a series that won several national awards. He went on to investigate how early releases from L.A.’s jail system perverts justice and fosters more crime on the street. Later, he worked on a sweeping expose of abuse and corruption in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

$10,000 Bail Set in Pet’s Beheading

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